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Friday, September 14, 2012

Interview With Travel Bloggers: MATT and ANDREA VANNI

Andrea and Matt in Thailand

I AM A TRAVELER: BEST SPOTS IN THE PHILIPPINES' Host Clement Dampal II interviewed the Travel Blogger Couple Matt and Andrea Sherrodd-Vanni of World-walk-about.com about their travel experiences, adventures, and memorable encounters being a couple. What's their inspiring story? check this out!Tell us something about yourself? Where you came from? What's your style?

We’re Andrea and Matt. We’ve been married just over a year, and we’re currently living in South Korea teaching English. We’re both from Washington State, USA. We both lived in Seattle for about ten years before starting our lives as expats. We’re very laid back people, both in life and in our travel style!

How many countries have you visited so far? What is your favorite destination?

We’ve each been to 12 countries, but not all of the same ones (and both not counting the USA). Andrea’s favorite country is Italy and her favorite city is Rome, and Matt’s favorite country is Italy and his favorite city is Kuala Lumpur.

What do you love most about traveling?

We love that traveling opens our eyes and hearts to so many different people, lifestyles and cultures. Traveling puts everything else into perspective for us—seeing the world is a huge priority for us at this point in our lives.

Matt and Andrea in Korea

We heard that you are a traveling couple. So, what makes a good traveler with a partner?

Traveling with a partner means there is always someone to watch your backpack while you go to the bathroom! Also, it’s just nice to have a partner by your side while experience so many amazing things, and also to help you through the less amazing days. We make good travelers and good partners because we are laid back, we can go with the flow, and we don’t sweat the small stuff.

What is it that you enjoy about a traveling couple?

Andrea enjoys traveling in a couple because she can be shy when talking to new people, so it’s nice to have Matt to do most of the talking. Matt likes having a traveling companion because Andrea gets him to do things he normally wouldn't even think about!

Hindu Temple in Malaysia

Tell us something about your travel experiences around the globe being a couple?

One way being a couple has benefited us while traveling was during our time in Korea as expats—since there are two of us, our apartment was much bigger than what most other English teachers get!

What are your most memorable encounters so far?

Some of the days that stand out to us the most are the day in Malaysia when we held a boa constrictor, zip-lining in the jungle in Okinawa, Japan, and snorkeling off the coast of Koh Phi Phi, Thailand.

What travel tips would you like to share from your trips?

It’s really important to travel with an open mind, an open agenda (if possible), and a carefree attitude. Unexpected stuff happens all the time when you’re traveling or living as an expat (both good and bad stuff), and you need to be able to take it in stride.

Street performance in Japan

Where would you like to travel next month if given the chance?

We leave Korea in about a month, and our first stop is Hong Kong. From there we’ll head to Taipei, Taiwan, and then to Singapore!

Would you like to visit the Philippines one day? When will that be if given a chance?

We would love to visit the Philippines! We might have an opportunity to do so next spring, but nothing is finalized or confirmed yet…who knows where we’ll be by then?

Give us your top 5 destinations in the Philippines that you would like to visit someday and why?

Honestly, we don’t know much about the Philippines and we don’t have any spot in particular we are looking at. We just want to eat delicious food and lay on beautiful beaches! Where are the best spots for that?

As a traveling couple, what do you want to tell to the aspiring couples who wanted to follow your path?

Just make it happen! If you want to see the world, stop making excuses and do it. You can be an international traveler or a local one—just view your world through the eyes of a tourist. Don’t spend too much money on material possessions, and instead save up for life changing experiences. You’ll never regret traveling, but you might regret not traveling.

Share with us one photo souvenir that you particularly love and tell us the story behind that shot?

Matt and Andrea

This photo was taken outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at a wildlife preserve. Everyone in our group posed with the snake, but both of us felt squeamish about it. Finally, we decided we didn’t want to be the only ones who didn’t do it, so we decided that together we could do it. It ended up being pretty amazing, and we both felt proud of ourselves for conquering a fear. We are constantly pushing each other to do and try new things, and this photo captures that perfectly!

Hi Andrea and Matt! I'll answer the question you posed to Clement. Since, your basic requirements are just the best food and beaches, all you have to visit are the following: Ilocos Norte (just don't visit during typhoon season), Palawan, Boracay, Cebu, Bohol and Davao. Good luck in your further travels. Enjoy!

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